Forensics Automation Skill#

Automated collection and archival of Linux system forensic data.

Quick Start#

Prerequisites#

Google Drive API setup required once:

bash

# 1. Create GCP project and enable Google Drive API
# 2. Create OAuth 2.0 Desktop App credentials (JSON)
# 3. Run one-time setup
python3 setup_gmail.py

# Follow OAuth flow, authorize, paste code back
# Tokens saved to ~/.gmail_tokens.json

Basic Usage#

Generate forensic report:

bash

bash linux_forensics.sh /tmp
# Creates: /tmp/forensics_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.txt

Upload to Google Drive:

bash

python3 upload_to_drive.py /tmp/forensics_20260324_180000.txt
# Returns: File ID and shareable Drive link

One-command: Generate + Upload:

bash

bash forensics_and_upload.sh
# Generates report and uploads in one go

Send forensic data via email:

bash

python3 send_email.py recipient@example.com "Forensic Report" "Report attached"

What Gets Collected#

Each forensic report includes:

• System Info: Kernel version, hostname, OS details
• Users & Groups: All user accounts, sudoers configuration
• Network: IP addresses, routes, listening ports, connections
• Packages: Installed software (apt/rpm)
• Processes: Full process listing with arguments
• System Logs: dmesg, auth logs, system events
• Cron Jobs: Scheduled tasks across all users
• File Integrity: Recently modified files (last 7 days)
• Disk Usage: Storage breakdown

Script Details#

linux_forensics.sh#

Core forensic collection script.

bash

bash linux_forensics.sh [output_directory]

# Example
bash linux_forensics.sh /tmp
# Creates /tmp/forensics_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.txt (~300KB typical)

What it does:

• Gathers comprehensive system information
• Runs read-only commands (safe to execute)
• Outputs to timestamped file for easy tracking
• Minimal dependencies (bash, standard Unix tools)

forensics_and_upload.sh#

Orchestration script: Generate report + Upload to Drive in one command.

bash

bash forensics_and_upload.sh

# One-step forensic collection and archival
# Includes 2-second rate limit delay to avoid Google API throttling

What it does:

• Runs linux_forensics.sh automatically
• Gets most recent report
• Waits 2 seconds (rate limiting)
• Uploads to Google Drive
• Returns Drive link

upload_to_drive.py#

Upload any file to Google Drive using authenticated session.

bash

python3 upload_to_drive.py <file_path> [folder_id]

# Examples
python3 upload_to_drive.py /tmp/report.txt
python3 upload_to_drive.py /tmp/report.txt "1a2b3c4d5e6f7890"  # Optional: upload to specific folder

Returns:

• File name on Drive
• File ID (for API access)
• Shareable link

send_email.py#

Send emails via Gmail API.

bash

python3 send_email.py <recipient> <subject> <body>

# Example
python3 send_email.py analyst@company.com "Forensic Report Ready" "New forensics collected and uploaded to Drive"

Integration Examples#

Security Operations Center (SOC)#

Automate daily forensic snapshots:

bash

#!/bin/bash
# Daily forensic collection cron job

cd /opt/forensics
bash forensics_and_upload.sh

# Email security team
python3 send_email.py security@company.com \
  "Daily Forensic Snapshot" \
  "Today's forensic report has been collected and uploaded to Google Drive"

Incident Response#

Rapid forensic collection during incident:

bash

#!/bin/bash
# Incident response script

INCIDENT_ID="INC-2026-003"
bash linux_forensics.sh /tmp

# Upload and tag with incident ID
REPORT=$(ls -t /tmp/forensics_*.txt | head -1)
python3 upload_to_drive.py "$REPORT"

# Notify incident commander
python3 send_email.py "commander@company.com" \
  "Forensics Collected: $INCIDENT_ID" \
  "Forensic data from $REPORT ready for analysis"

Compliance & Auditing#

Monthly forensic audits:

bash

#!/bin/bash
# Monthly audit job

MONTH=$(date +%Y-%m)
bash linux_forensics.sh "/var/forensics/$MONTH"

# Archive to Drive
REPORT=$(ls -t "/var/forensics/$MONTH"/forensics_*.txt | head -1)
python3 upload_to_drive.py "$REPORT" "AUDIT_FOLDER_ID"

Setup & Requirements#

1. Google Drive API Setup (One-time)#

bash

# Create GCP project and enable APIs:
# - Google Drive API
# - Gmail API (for email integration)

# Create OAuth 2.0 Desktop App credentials
# Download JSON credential file

# Place in script directory or set CREDS_FILE path

2. First-time Authorization#

bash

python3 setup_gmail.py

# Opens browser for OAuth authorization
# Paste authorization code when prompted
# Tokens saved to ~/.gmail_tokens.json

3. Verify Setup#

bash

# Test forensic collection
bash linux_forensics.sh /tmp

# Test Drive upload
python3 upload_to_drive.py /tmp/forensics_*.txt

# Test email
python3 send_email.py your-email@example.com "Test" "Forensics setup working!"

Error Handling#

Common Issues#

"No tokens found"

text

Run setup_gmail.py first to authorize

"HTTP Error 400: Bad Request"

text

Refresh token may be invalid (expires ~24hrs)
Run setup_gmail.py again to re-authorize

"Permission denied" on /var/log

text

Some logs require elevated privileges
Script gracefully skips unavailable files

Rate limiting from Google APIs

text

`forensics_and_upload.sh` includes 2-second delay
For batch operations, add `sleep 5` between uploads

Performance Notes#

• Forensic collection: ~1-5 seconds (depends on system load)
• Report size: ~250-400KB typical
• Drive upload: ~2-5 seconds (depends on network)
• Email send: ~1-2 seconds
• Total one-command: ~10-15 seconds

Security Considerations#

1. OAuth tokens stored in ~/.gmail_tokens.json — keep secure (600 permissions)
2. Refresh tokens enable long-term automation without re-auth
3. Scripts run read-only — no system modification
4. Drive links are shareable — consider folder permissions

Customization#

Extend forensic data collection#

Edit linux_forensics.sh to add custom commands:

bash

echo "=== CUSTOM DATA ===" | tee -a "$REPORT"
your-command-here >> "$REPORT"

Change upload destination#

Specify Google Drive folder:

bash

python3 upload_to_drive.py report.txt "FOLDER_ID"

Batch operations#

Upload multiple reports:

bash

for file in /tmp/forensics_*.txt; do
  python3 upload_to_drive.py "$file"
  sleep 5  # Rate limiting
done

References#

• Google Drive API Documentation
• Linux forensics best practices
• OAuth 2.0 for Desktop Apps